These ground beef puff pastry pockets are filled with meat and veggies, and don't require any special cooking skills to prepare them. You just use one pot to prepare the meat sauce, fill in the pastries and bake.
These puff pastry pockets are a great way for your little one to eat more meat. The filling is made with ground beef, green peas and carrots, all cooked in one pot. Then, you just add a few tablespoons to each puff pastry parcel and bake until golden brown and flaky.
They are suitable for all ages and the whole family is going to love them. For babies under 12 months that follow the BLW method, you could cut the pastry pockets into three or four finger-sized pieces to be easier to hold with their little hands and squeeze out the filling.
If you have any leftover puff pastry then take a look at my broccoli pinwheels recipe or my sweet puff pastry apple slices made without any processed sugar.
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- These ground beef puff pastry pockets are great as a meal with some veggies on the side or for snacking as they are easy to hold.
- Ready in just an hour using just one pot to prepare the filling and the oven for baking.
- Freezable for batch prepping or busy days.
- You could add them to lunch boxes or pack them in reusable bags for the park and days out.
- Easy to hold for babies that follow BLW method.
- Iron and protein rich from the ground beef.
🥘 Ingredients
To make these meat puff pastry pockets, we need ground beef, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes or passata, olive oil, carrot, green peas, ground pepper, puff pastry and an egg.
I'm not including salt in the ingredients to make the recipe suitable for babies. For older kids and adults, you could add some salt to the meat sauce to taste.
You could also use ground pork or ground turkey instead of ground beef. To prepare the puff pastry, you will need to thaw it according to the package instructions. I take it out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Then, it's ready to be used on the next day.
For full quantities and to print the recipe, see the recipe card below.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. I begin by preparing the vegetables. I peel and dice the onion, then roughly chop the garlic cloves. I’m using one large carrot, which I peel and dice as well, though you could also grate it to mix it into the ground meat—perfect if you have picky eaters.
02. I place a pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. I add the ground beef and break it into smaller bits with a wooden spatula. As the ground beef browns, it releases some of its juices. I cook it for 5–6 minutes until most of the juices evaporate.
03. Now it's time to add the chopped onion and garlic. I cook them with the ground meat for 2–3 minutes until they get soft and bring out their sweetness.
04. Finally, I add the green peas, chopped carrot, tomatoes and about a cup of water. For seasoning, I'm just using ground black pepper and a little bit of salt. If you are making the ground beef pockets for babies, then leave out the salt.
05. It takes about 20–25 minutes for the meat sauce to cook in medium-low heat. You will see that the sauce is thicker, the veggies and ground beef are cooked and it won't be watery when mixing with the spatula. I turn off the heat and leave the meat sauce to cool down for 10–15 minutes.
06. When I'm ready to assemble the ground beef pockets, I take the puff pastry out of the fridge. If you leave it out at room temperature for too long, the butter will soften up and it will be difficult to work with the pastry.
I cut one of the puff pastry sheets into six rectangles and add about 2 heaped tablespoons of the meat sauce in the middle of each one.
07. I cut the other puff pastry sheet into rectangles. Then, I brush the edges of each pastry with water using my finger or a brush and place a sheet on top to create a pocket. I seal the edges by pressing gently using the tip of a fork.
08. With a knife, I do 2–3 cuts on each pocket to let the air out. I place the puff pastry pockets on a lined baking tray and brush the top with eggwash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water or milk). I like to sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, but it's optional and you could skip it.
HealthyBitesForKids Product Picks
Easy to clean stainless steel trays. I have a couple of those for roasting veggies or baking cookies.
Buy On Amazon📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of ground beef, you could use ground pork.
- You could add some spices and dried herbs to the meat sauce like allspice, bay leaves, oregano and more.
- Instead of canned tomatoes, you could use two blended fresh tomatoes.
🍽 Serving suggestions
You could serve these ground beef puff pastry pockets for breakfast with some fruits on the side or yogurt. They are a great source of protein and iron, and will give your little one energy until it's time for lunch!
If you decide to serve them for their main meal, then you could add some veggies on the side for extra goodness and nutrients, like steamed broccoli or a salad.
For babies, I like to cut them into four pieces about the size of my index finger. This way they can munch on the pastry and eat the filling.
🧰 Storage
The recipe makes about six ground beef puff pastry pockets. If you have any leftovers, you could store them in the fridge and have them within the next 3–4 days.
You could use any leftover of the meat sauce with pasta or mashed potatoes, or just freeze it for another time.
❓ FAQ
Green peas and carrots are a good addition to the meat sauce as they have a sweet flavor when cooked and most kids like them. On top of that, you could add some mushroom slices, bell peppers or diced eggplant.
If you tried these ground beef puff pastry pockets or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📋 Recipe
Ground Beef Puff Pastry Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot
- ½ cup green peas
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes or passata
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry according to package instructions and keep in the fridge until it's time to add the filling.
- Peel and dice the onion. Chop the garlic cloves. Peel and dice the carrot.
- Place a pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and ground beef.
- Cook the ground beef until brown using a spatula to break it down, for 5–6 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pot. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the green peas, carrot, tomatoes and ground black pepper. Add a cup of water and set the heat to medium.
- Cook for 20–25 minutes until the sauce thickens and the veggies are cooked. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool down for 10 minutes.
- Lay flat one of the puff pastry sheets. Cut into six rectangles depending on the size.
- Add a couple of heaped tablespoons of the filling on each parcel leaving about a finger space around.
- Brush the sides with water using a brush or your fingers.
- Cut the other puff pastry sheet into rectangles and cover each parcel with a top layer.
- Seal the edges using a fork. Cut two lines at the top with a knife to let the air out.
- Mix the egg with a tablespoon of water and lightly whisk. Brush each puff pastry pocket with the eggwash. Sprinkle some sesame seeds (optionally).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven to 350℉ / 180℃ or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
- You could use ground pork or turkey instead of ground beef.
- You could add more veggies like bell peppers or mushrooms.
🥣 More to try
If you liked my ground beef puff pastries, you should try some of these recipes too:
Maria
Thank you for the recipe! My daughter loved it and it was really easy for me to prepare.
Julia Droulia
You're welcome! I'm happy your little one liked it